Gang spray



Feb, 7, 192%, 1,658,220 H, D. slNKs GANG SPRAY Filed Nov. '7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb, 7, 19288 658,220 v H. D. BINKS GANG SPRAY Filed Nov. '7, 1925 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. a

HARRY D. BINKS, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, AS SIGNOR TO BINKS SPRAY EQUIPMENT 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. I

GANG SPRAY.

Application filed November 7, 1925. Serial No. 67,514.

My invention relates, to spraying means for applying a uniform coating to large surfaces, such as sheets or panels.

In varnishing linoleum so as to give the rather porous constituents of the body of the linoleum a Waterproof coating, it is highly important that every portion of the face of the linoleum should be adequately coated with the varnish. It is likewise important that this varnish should be applied .with an equal thickness, as any differences in the transparency of the coating would mar the appearance of the colored pat-tern of the linoleum.

'Heretofore, it has been customary to apply such a protective coating to wide fiat surfaces by using a manually held spraying appliance which is moved to and fro While adjacent to the surface which is to be coated. Such a manipulation, although commercially satisfactory for the coating of products in which variations in the transparency of the applied coating are not material, or in -'which this coating is opaque, has not been entirely satisfactory in the varnishing of linoleum. In practice, even an experienced operator is apt to leave occasional spots insufficiently coated, while other portions will receive such anundul heavy coating as to interfere with the uniformity of the varnish and to dim portions of the finished product. Moreover, streakiness commonly occurs at the junctures of the comparatively narrow bands in which the coating is successively applied, .it being impossible to project a single and substantially uniform spray which exceeds more than a small fraction of an ordinary piece of linoleum in width. Furthermore, the cost of applying a coating in this manner is undesirably high, owing both to the necessity of employing of ex pert workmen for this purpose and to the relatively slow rate at which the coating can be applied with a single spraying appliance.

A further diificulty commonly encbun tered in the applying of coatings to linoleums, veneer panels or the like, lies in the inability of maintaining a spray of uniform consistency in the ordinary spraying appliance, owing to the readiness with which the coating material will clog the relatively small channels and ports in such appliances.

My present invention aims to overcome all of these objections by providing a spray ing appliari ce which will simultaneously project the coating material in a series of finely divided s rays over the entire width of theobject w ich is to be coated, which will effect the needed subdivision of the coatmg liquid into a spray Without requiring the liquid to pass through any small passages or ports, which will permit the density of the spray to be varied simultaneously and equally at all of the spray outlets, and which will permit the thickness of the applied coating to be varied also by varyin the rate at which the linoleum sheet, pane or'other object is moved through the field of the spray.

Furthermore, my invention provides ex- .ceedingly simple and easily manipulated fication and from the accompanying draw-- ings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a gang spray appliance lembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same, taken from the line 2-@ of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section'taken along the line 3--3' of Fig. 1, showing also a portion of a liquid supply tank, together with the connection between this tank and the trough of my. gang spray, the trough being tilted as. it appears when this gang spray is in operation. 1

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section similar to a portion of Fig. 3, showing the relative positions of one of the air projecting nozzles, the spray nozzle casing, and the level of the liquid when my gang sprayappliance is in operation.

showing this as provided with a semi-cylin- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a part i of the gang spray embodying my invention,

corresponding tubularcasing of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

one of the spray nozzle casings employed in Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front elevation of another embodiment of my invention,

namely one employing a fiat plate a, a spout for a spray nozzle casmg.

Fig. 9 is a section taken through Fig. 8 along the line 99 of'that figure.

Referring first to the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, these show a liquid supply tank 1 connected by a flexible tube 2 to a trough 3, the supply connection being controlled by a stop cock 4. The trough 3 is supported by a pair of alined shafts proj ecting from opposite ends of the trough and each journaled in a hanger 6, one of these shafts having fastened to it a hand Wheel 7 by means of, which the trough can be tilted as desired.

Rigidly mounted with respect to the Y trough is tilted. Each of the air projecting nozzles 8 is maintained in rigid position with respect to the trough, as for example by a strap 13 connecting the corresponding riser pipe 9 with the back of the trough, and each of these nozzles hasin front of it a suitable arrangement for discharging paint or other liquid 14 from the trough and for: cooperating with the jet of air through the nozzle in projecting the liquid in a finely divided spray. For this purpose, Fig. 4 shows the front wall of the trough 3 as provided in front of each of the air nozzles 8 with a notch 1i through which a tubular discharge outlet or nozzle casing 16 extends in axial alinement with the air nozzle 8. I

Each such. discharge outlet desirably is mounted so that it can be manually detached from the trough to permit the removal of any liquid which has dried on the bore of the said outlet, for which purpose yadjacent tov one of the said notches. Moreover, the discharge outlets 16 and the air jet nozzles 8 behind them are uniformly spaced longitudinally of the trough and all have neaaaao their axes in a common plane, which plane is horizontal when the appliance is not in use as shown in Fig. 1.

In using such a gang spray appliance, the trough or liquid container is tilted forwardly (as shown in-Fig.-4=) to such an extent that the varnishor other liquid in the trough will flow in a thin stream through the bottom of the bore of each nozzle casing 16. When this is donewith air under pressure issuing from the air nozzle 8, the

outlet 16 acts after the usual manner of a spray nozzle casing in producing a whirling action within this casing so as to project a spray 18 consisting of finely divided liquid particles. By suitably proportioning the diameter and length of the outlet 16 to the outlet bore of the air nozzle 8 and suitably spacing the latter with respect to the outlet 16, I can readily produce a substantially conical spray in which the projected liquid particles are distributed with a fair uniformity, and with a divergence of the spray which will cause the sprays 18 from the adjacent spray nozzles to just reach each other.

by the time that the spray reaches the linoleum or other flat object 19 which is to be coated.

This object is fed by any suitable means and at a uniform rate through the field of spraying of all of the said nozzles. For

this purpose, Fig. 1 shows the sheet of linoleum 19 as slid over a table 20 by friction rollers 21 mounted on asingle rotating shaft 22, any suitable means being employed for rotating this shaft at such a speedas will cause the linoleum to receive a coating of thedesired thickness while passing through the field of the spray. This thickness of the coating can also be adjusted by varying the tilting of the trough, and differences in this tilting will likewise allow the user to compensate for differences in the viscosity of the liquid employed.

By using a simple bottom portion of a tube) as the nozzle of each of the spraying appliances mounted on tube (or trough-like my trough and causing the liquid toflow direct by gravity into the bottom of this tube,

I avoid the need of the small passages or.

ports commonly employed in the spraying appliances as heretofore in use. Consequently, I avoid the clogging of these spray appliances when my apparatus is in use and hence can readily secure that uniformity of the spray from all ofthe spray nozzle casings which is needed for insuring a uniform ity of the applied'coating. So also, since the tilting of the trough affects all of the outlets uniformly, I can readily vary the density of the spray equally at all of the spray outlets. lVhen the use of my apparatus is discontinued, the trough is tilted back to its normal position of Fig. 1, after which each of the spray nozzle casings or trough, so asto permit the said outlet to be scrapedclean or to be rinsed out with a suitable solvent for the liquid.

1' However, while I have heretofore described my gang spray appliance as including a tubular spray-producingcasing, I do not wish i I .to be limited to this shape for the spray out- .ployed with substantially? let, as various other forms might be emequal facility. For example, Figs. 5, 6 and show portions of a gang spray appliance in which the sprayproducing casing consists of a semi-cyclinder l9.'corresponding to, the lower half of the tube 12 in Fig. 4 and similarly secured to a pair of angle sectioned flanges 17 which serve for supporting it on the front wall 3 of the trough.

Figs. 8 and 9 show an allied arrangement in which the spray-producing member consists of a flat plate 20 having its upper face in an axial plane medial of the adjacent air projecting nozzle 8. With this form, the rear end of the plate 20 may be bent downward to afford a flange 31 engaging the rear of the trough front 3, while an angle bracket 22 is secured to the bottom of the plate 20 and enagages the forward face of the t ough front.

n each of the embodiments above described, it will be obvious that the level of the liquid in the trough can readily be controlled by a simple manipulation of the stop cock4. The rate of flow of liquid into the spray nozzle casing can be controlled in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 9 by varying the inclination of the trough, and in all cases the thickness of the applied coating can be varied by correspondingly varying the rate at which the object sheet 19 moves through the field of the spray. Since all of these ad- -justments are easily made and since the spray-producing portions of my appliance cannot readily clog or vary the fineness of the resulting spray,'my appliance can readily be operated for long periods without requiring any attention other than the maintaining of the supply of liquid in the tank 1 and the proper feeding of the linoleum or other object sheets. However, whileI have illustrated and described certain desirable t I'claim as my invention features of construction and arrangement, I do not wish to be limited as to these, since many changes might obviously be made without departin either from the spirit of} control the supply of liquid from the container to the said appliances.

'2. A gang spray appliance including a horizontal trough, a supply of liquid coni nected to the trough, a plurality of spray appliances carried by the trough and uniformly spaced along a longitudinal wall of the trough and having parallel axes extending at right angles to the said wall, air v supply ducts carried by the trough for supplying compressed air to all of the spra appliances, and means for tilting the troug horizontal axis parallel to the said about a wall. 1

p 3. In a spraying appliance, a horizontal liquid-containing trough, a plurality of spray appliances uniformly spaced longitudinally of the trough along the front Wall of the trough, means for supplying air uniformly to all of the said appliances, a pair of shafts carried respectively by the ends of the trough and having alined horizontal axes parallel to the said front wall, supports in which the shafts are respectively journaled, and means associated with one of the shafts for rotating the .latter to rock the trough about its said j ournaled supporting.

4. In an apparatus for coating an object with a liquid, a trough containing the liquid, a plurality of axially parallel trough-shaped outlets mounted on the trough, air jets re- \spectively behind and in substantially-axial alinement with the said outlets, and means independent of the air jetsfor varying the 6. In an apparatus for coating an object with a liquid, a container for the liquid, a

' plurality of axially parallel outlets mounted on the container and arranged to have liq'uid from the container flow through them, air

jets respectively behind and in axial aline-' ment with th said outlets, and means independent ofthe air issuin from the said jets for varying the level 0% the li uid in the container with respect to the sai outlets.

7. In an a paratus for coating an object with a liqui an upwardly open container for the liquid, 9. lurality of trough-shaped outlets of upwar ly concave transverse section spaced along the topof a wall of the container and having parallel axes disposed in a common lane an liquid from te container'flow respectively behind. and axially alined with all arran ed to. have f c.

irect from' the trough through the said outlets; air jets-T3 1 the said outlets, and means for varying the level of the liquid in the container with respect to the said outlets.-

8. An apparaus as per claim 7, in which each of the said outlets is detachably mounted on the said wall. I

*9. An apparatus as per claim7, in which the said trough wall has notches through which the said outlets respectively extend.

10. A liquid spraying apparatus, comprising a horizontal liquid-containing trough having a longitudinal front wall and mounted for rotational movement about an axis longitudinal of'the trough, a plurality of outlets mounted at the said front wall and,

disposed for having liquid flow directly into all of them from the trough, and means for rotating the trough about its said arms to vary the rate at which liquid flows from the trough into all of the said outlets and means fast with respect to the trough for projecting air longitudinally of the several outlets and into engagement with liquid flowing from the trough through the said outlets.

. longitudinal front wall, a plurality of liquid discharge outlets of upwardly concave arcuate section supported by and extending across the said \vall and spaced uniformly along the latter and having their axes in' a common plane, air projecting nozzles respectively behind and in axial alinement with the said outlets and supported inde-' pendently of the said outlets, and means for the said outlets, and means for tilting the trough about a horizontal axis parallel to the said front wall so. as to cause liquid to flow from the trough simultaneously into all of the said outlets, each of the said outlets having a pair of flanges respectively engaging the front and rear faces of the said front wall for securing the outlet to the said wall.

14. The combination with a container, of liquid within the same, an outlet fast upon a wall of the container and spaced from the bottomof the container, the outlet having a trough-like bottom portion extending transversely of the said Wall, means for raisingthe level of the liquid in the container with respect to the inner end of the outlet to cause liquid to flow out over the said troughlike bottom portion, and means for projecting air against the liquid flowing over the said bottom portion for projecting the liquid outwardly of the container in the form of a spray.

15. In a spraying appliance, an air jet nozzle, a spray producing member disposed forwardly of the nozzle and extending parallel to the said nozzle, the said member having a trough-shaped bottom; and means for causing liquid to flow from the rear of the said member along the said bottom.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, November 4,

HARRY BINKS. 

